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Judge James Boasberg. Credit…Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A judge in Washington yesterday said that he would open a contempt investigation into the Trump administration over its deportation flights of migrants unless it gave the deported men a chance to challenge their removal.

The judge, James Boasberg, said that there was “probable cause” the administration had violated an order he gave last month to keep the migrants in the U.S., instead of sending them to El Salvador.

The move toward a possible inquiry was a remarkable attempt by a judge to hold the White House accountable for its apparent willingness to flout court orders. Read the ruling here.

What’s next: Boasberg said that if the White House did not comply, he would order sworn declarations from officials to find who was responsible. If that failed, he would require depositions or hold hearings under oath. And if that was unsuccessful, Boasberg said he would refer the case to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution.

Mission to El Salvador: Chris Van Hollen, a Democratic Senator, traveled to El Salvador yesterday to press for the release of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant who was mistakenly deported from the U.S.

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